Reinforcement for barricade for boxcar doors



March 5, 1957 H. E. KEATING Er Ax. 2,783,508

REINFORCEMENT FOR BARRICADE FOR BoxcAR nooRs Filed Aug. 9. 1954 '2 sheets-sheet 1 I lll/lllI j March 5, 1957 H. E. KEATING Er Ax. 2,783,508

REINFORCEMENT FOR BARRICADE FOR BOXCARDOORS United States Patent V(j) REINFORCEMENT FOR BARRICADE FOR BOXCAR DOORS Henry E. Keating, Westchester, and John E. Murphy and Bernard N. Ioss, Aurora, lll.V

Application August 9, 1954, Serial No. 448,528

14 Claims. (Cl. Ztl-27) The present invention relates to temporarybarricades, or inner doors, such as used in freight cars for handling of grain or other bulk commodities. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a novel reinforcement for such barricades or inner doors. Y

As is well known, the cars used by railroads inh'andling of grain or other bulk materials are of the usual type referred to as freight cars or box cars` While such cars are provided with the usua1 outer storm door or weather door, it has been common practiceV to place a suitable barricade, or inner door, in positionv across the door opening, on the inside of the car, in order to reduce possible loss of contents, such as by leakage from the car, to a practical minimum. Such barricades, or -inner doors, are usually of substantial height, and yterminatea short distance from the top of the door opening lso as to aiordaccess to the interior of the car, above thebarl ricade, for checking, inspecting or sampling the grain or other material therein.

Heretofore, such barricades, or inner doors, were made up of an assembly of wood boards orpanels,.either'sev cured together as a unit for attachment, such as by nailing -to the inside of the door posts, adjacent the door opening, or the boards or panels are individually nailed in place so as to build up a closure across the major portion of the height of the door opening. Becausesuch` inner doors, or Ybarricades are of a temporary nature;v

and are usually destroyed in the process of'pdischar'gngl the contents from the car, or become st,". such'as'by theft, the more recent practice employed islto fonn such temporary barricades or inner doors of rath'erine'xpen# sive material, such as heavy paperboard panels, tog'ether with suitable metal strapping positioned across the door opening, in front of the paperboard panels, and nailed. Tofurther to the door posts on the inside of the car. reinforce such barricades, it has been customary to employ a wood pry board across the door opening, at. the bottom thereof, and also a wood board across thedoor' opening, adjacent the upper edge of the barricade. When :a car is loaded with grain or other granular bulk mate-- rial, such barricades lare usually subjected to relatively high pressures from the material in the carand which results in the barricade bulging outwardly through the door opening. Sometimes such bulging results inrupturing of the barricade, or inner door, in thev normal han= dling of box cars or freight cars in switchyards or.the-

like. Sometimes the pressure of the material withinfthe car causes the barricades to bulge into directcontactl with the outer storm. door or weather door of the-car, and thus makes it difficult for a grain inspectorto open lthe storm door in order to obtain access to andfsampling of the material in the car. Sometimes, in the process of opening the storm door, if the barricade is bulged outwardly in contact therewith, the barricade, or inner door, is ruptured, resulting in a substantial loss ofthe .contents of the car.

'are not of suicient strength so as to be capable of with 2,783,508 Patented Mar. 5, 1957 standing substantial shocks to which cars are` normally subjectedto, such as occurs in 'being shunted in switchyards'V andthe like, substantial loss of the'material from the cars frequently occurs. This results in substantial damage claims being filed against the railroad.

One ofthe objects of the present invention is to provide a novel'const'ruction which effects great reinforcement of the barricade, or inner door, of the railroad car, so` as 'to substantially eliminate possibility of the barricade, or' inner door, being bulged outwardly into direct contact with'the storm door of the car, and which will effect great reduction in-inadvertent-rupture of the barricade,-and thus reduces ythe possibility of loss of the bulk conten'tsfrom the car.'

Another object is to provide a novel reinforcement-for barricades of grain cardoor openings, which reinforce'- ment is permanently attached to the car so' as to avoid accidental loss, theft or damage thereto.

A-fur-ther object is to provide a novel reinforecement of thecharacter indicated which is pivotally supported at'iitsup'per end in the door opening, and which is constructed and arranged so as to be releasably latched at its" lower endlin the door opening, in an upright position'immediately infront of the barricade and which reinforcement; when not in use, may be swung'in'teriorly of the car to an approximately horizontal inoperative position, with its 1 free end suitably seated von a support, inside the car, so as to afford free-access andY egress through the car door opening when the barricadey is removed.-`

Still anotherobject is to provide a novel reinforcement of the'characterindicated, having a series of spaced'apart stepped members arranged thereon so that 'when the re' inforcement is disposed in operative position, the; stepsv may be conveniently employed as a ladder for affording access-over the barricade -to the interior of the car.

A :still further object is to provide a novel reinforcement of the character indicated which is simple in construction, ;efective in use and which is capable of being I nce economically manufactured in a manner so as to lendy itself-for` convenient use inlcar door openings vof varying heights.

Other objects and advantages of vthis invention will'be apparentfrom the following description, taken-in Aconnection with theaccompanyin'g drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the central door of a railroadA car, provided with the rein'- forcement embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken as'indiV cated online 2-2 on Figure 1;

Figures and 4 are enlarged, transverse lsectional views', taken as indicated on lines'S--S and 4;-4 respectively,` on Figure-1;

Figure V5 is an` elevational view,I from the interior lof the car, showing a barricade in place andthe reinforce'-l ment inan operative position with respect to the barri# cade;

. Figure is a vertical view, similar to Figure 2, showmgthereinforcement moved inwardly and eiecting'rup-` ture-of the barricade, for dischargingthe contents from thecar;

Figure 7 is an elevational view, from thev interior of the car, showing the :reinforcement 'supported in `an outofvt-he-way inoperative position.

VIn the drawings, a conventional box lcar 'or fr'eight'car,

shown-fragmentarily, is indicated generally at '10, having' inLone-of its side walls a central door opening 11, surv rounded by a frame 12. Mounted on the'exte'rior of the" Aavgrsavasoe toms by a member 18. Permanently attacheduto the underside of the top frame member 16 is a structural angle member 20.

A temporary barricade or inner door, indicated gen1 erally at 22, may be made up of superimposed sections of wood boards, or may be made of one pieceor a plurality of pieces of heavy paperboard. As shown in the drawings by way of illustration, the inner door ismade up of a series of heavy paperboard sections or panels 24, 26 and 28, which are arranged in lapped relation to eachother, as clearly seen-in Figure 2 of the drawings. The lowermost panel 24 has a bottom portion bent inwardly and seated and secured directly upon the floor of the car to assist in further sealing of the door opening. A suitable pry board or timber 30 isl placedagainst the inside ofthe lower panel member 24, and to reinforce the upper edge of the barricade, a suitable board or timber 34 is employed. The panels or sections, together with the boards 30 and 34 are all attached to the posts 1 5of the door frame of the door opening in any convenient manner, such as by nailing. The purpose of the board 34 is to normally provide a support for a conventional ladder sented in dotted lines in Figure 4 and as seen in Figure 7.

To "assist in supporting the reinforcing assembly in an inoperative position, a suitable bracket, as indicated at 54, is provided on the side wall of the car, as clearly seen iniFigures 6 and 7 of the drawings.

The lower end of the reinforcement, and more particularly the outer member 40, is adapted, when disposed in operative position, to be seated in locking engagement in a latch plate 60, recessed in the floor of the car or frame member of the door opening. Seating of the outer member 40 in the latch plate is accommodated by the relative telescopic movement of the outer member 40 with respect to the member 41, provided by the clamping stud 43 and nuts 44. When the member 40 is in an operative locking position with respectto the latch plate 60, the members 40 and 41 together may be rigidly secured in such extended position by the stud 43 and nuts 44. .The socket portion ofthe latch plate is formed with to permit convenient access to the interior of the car, v

over the barricade. Sometimes suitable metal strapping is extended across the door opening, and secured to the jamb members 15, and positioned immediately in front of the panel `members to assist in sustaining the pressures ofthe bulk contents in the car against the barricade or inner door. Y

v For reinforcing the barricade or inner door 22, wel provide a novel reinforcing structure comprising an elon. gated body adapted, when in operative position, to extend substantially upright and approximately centrally of thedoor opening, as clearly seen in the drawings. As shown, thereinforcing body is pivotally suspended from the upper frame member 16 of the door opening but may be supported on a vertical surface, adjacent the dooropening, depending on the particular construction of ther car. Said body comprises two main members and 41 telescoped one within another, and as may be seen in the drawings, the outer member 40 is hollow for the major: portion of its length, for accommodating the member 41 telescopically therein.V The outer member is provided at opposite sides, adjacent its upper end, with an elongated slot 42, through which project the terminal ends of a stud 43, xedly secured, such as by welding, in. the inner mem-2 ber 41,. Nuts 44 are mounted on the outer ends of the stud and adapted, when tightened, to secure the two members 40 and 41 in a desired position of telescopic adjustment relative to each other. Such telescopic adjustment of the twol members 40 and 41 is for the dual purpose of permitting convenient latching of the lower end of the member 40 in an operative position, and for enabling the assembly to adapt itself for, use with cars'v having different heights of door openings. By reason of the stud 43 being permanently attached to the inner reinforcing member 41, the two members 40 and 41 normally cannot be totally separated, and thus prevents unauthor-l ized removal or theft of the members.

The upper end of the inner member 41 is provided with aV bail 46, which is seated in a horizontally extending loop 48, carried on a xture or plate 50, which is preferably welded to the structural member 20 so as to preclude accidental or unauthorized removal of the reinforcement With respect to the car. As may beseen in the drawings, the loop member 48 extends in a direction normal to theplane of the door opening. The entire reinforcement assembly may be moved along the loop 48 and may assume an operative position, as seen in Figure Z, within the door opening or may be moved along the loop and be disposed within the car so that it may be swung up-A wardly about the pivotal connection to the loop and as-' sume a substantially horizontal, inoperative vpositionv against either the roof or the side of the car, as repre-vv a rearwardly and upwardly inclined wall 61, and the lower rear portion of the outer member 40, as clearly seen in Figures 2 and 6, is correspondingly inclined, as indicated at 40a, for purposes as will be presently described.

As may be seen in the drawings, the reinforcement is shown positioned immediately in front and in close spaced apart relation to the barricade 22, so that a relatively small amount of outwardly bulging of the barricade is permitted before encounter with the reinforce ment. If desired, the support for the reinforcement and its latch plate may be so located that its supporting surf ace, with respect to the barricade, is aligned approxi-v mately ush with the inner faces of the door jamb.

Mounted on the outer face of the lower portion of the member 40 of the reinforcing assembly is a combination striker bar and pry-plate 64. Depending upon the facilities available at the time the contents of the car are to be removed, the barricade can be manipulated to suit the condition. For certain conditions, the contents of the car, at least initially, may be removed by first loosening the nuts 44 so as to permit relative telescopic movement of the two members 40 and 41. Then, by` the use of suitable equipment, such as a bulldozer, pressure is forcibly applied against the striker plate 64, exerting a force against the entire reinforcing assembly in an inward direction, causing the lower end of the member 40 to cam up the incline 61 out of locking engagementwi'th the latch plate, and is moved inwardly.' as indicated by the a'rrow A in Figure 6, for rupturing the entire barricade 22, and permitting the contents of the car to freely spill out of the door opening 11.' In' other cases it may be desired to gradually elect initial removal of the contents of the car. For this purpose, the nuts 44 are first loosened and a suitable iim'alernent,l such as a crowbar or pry bar, is placed beneath the pry# plate 64 so as to permit upward telescopic movement of the member 40 with respect to the member 41 so as to` disengage the member 40 from the latch plate 60. Then,I by asuitable instrument, the lower portion of the barricade is ruptured, such as by dislocating the lower panel 24 and board 30, after which the other panel sections' may be conveniently removed.

` When the reinforcement is in operative latched posi-A tion, bulk materiall within the car exerts substantial pres# sure against the barricade and the reinforcement. Accordingly, when thev reinforcement is moved out of engagement with the latch plate, by prying action, as above referred to, the pressure of bulk material exerted through the barricade will tend to forcibly swing the reinforcement outwardly, through the door opening. To avoid possible injury to a person standing nearby, we provide suitable check-chains, as indicated at 66, the upper ends of. which are connected to the member 41 and the opposite ends of which are provided with suitable hooks 68, adapted to be hooked over the upper edge of the apsasos the voutward swinging movement of the reinforcement under such conditions.

In. order to afford convenient access tofthe interior ofthe car, while the barricade is in position, `in order to permit inspection, testing and sampling the contents, we provide on the reinforcement a series of vertically spaced step members, indicated at 70, arranged in staggered relation, so as to perform the function of a ladder. Heretofore, it has been necessary for an inspector to provide va suitable ladder for hookingover the upper edge barricade in order to climb thereover and gain access to the interior of the car.

It will be apparent that by virtue of the present invention, we have providedV a novel reinforcement which greatly reduces the possibility of inadvertent rupture of a Vbarricade due to excessive load, or due to the barricade bulging in direct contact with the weather door, or due to movement of the weather door in process of opening when it is engaged by the barricade. Our novel reinforcingstructure is such that it becomesa permanent part of the car and cannot be readily disassembled, and hence, inadvertent loss or theft of parts is reduced to a practical minimum. When the reinforcement is not to be used, it may conveniently be disposed in out-of-the-way position, within the car, to afford convenient access or egress through the car door opening.

By virtue of the reinforcement embodying the present invention, the inner door can now be made of lightweight materials which will result in substantial economy in manufacture of such doors.

It will be apparent while we have herein shown and,

described one specific manner of pivotally mounting the upper end of the reinforcing member, said pivotal mounting may be a universal joint, or a conventional hinge arrangement, or any other arrangement that provides the desired pivotal movement. Also, the interconnection between the two telescopic members of the reinforcement may be reversed, that is, the slots may be on the inner member, and suitable means coacting with the slots may be carried on the outer member.

Although we have herein shown and described'a certain preferred embodiment of our invention, manifestly it is capable of modification and rearrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. We`

do not, therefore, wish to be understood as limiting this invention to the precise embodiment herein disclosed except as we may be so limit-ed by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening defined by a door frame, and an expendable barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across the door opening; a movable reinforcement pivotally connected at its upper end in the door frame for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the main plane of the door opening and adapted to be positionedl uprightly, immediately in front of the barricade, and means recessed in the floor of the door opening for releasably locking the lower end of the reinforcement in the bottom of the door frame when said reinforcement is in an upright position.

2. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening 4defined by a door frame, and an expendable barricade removably mounted on the inner` face ofthe frame and extending across the door opening; a movable reinforcement pivotally connected at it-s upper end in the door fr ame for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the main plane of the door-opening and adapted to be positioned uprightly, immediately in front of the barricade, said reinforcement comprising a pair of telescopically connected elongated members, means for releasably securing said members in a desired positionof telescopic adjustment, and latch means carried on the bottom of the door frame for receiving the lower endof the reinforcement when in anupright operative position;

3. For use with a box carhavinga sidel wall provided withrafdoor opening defined by a door frame, andan expendable barricade removably mounted on theinner face of the frame and extending across thefdoor opening; a movable reinforcement pivotally connected at its lupper end in the door frame for swinging movement about an 'axis parallel to the main plane of the door opening. and adapted to be positioned uprightly, immediately in front ofthe barricade, said pivotal connection comprising a bailat the upper end of the reinforcement and a supporting bracket engaged by the bail and providing a horizont-al slot through which. saidbail extends, whereby the reinforcement may be bodily moved into .thecar, be'- yond'the door frame, for free swinging movement to an inoperative, approximately horizontal position, means within the car, engageable by the free end of the reinforcement for ysupporting insaid inoperative position, and means for releasably locking the lower end of the reinforcement inthe bottom of the door frame when said reinforcement is-in an upright position.

4. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening defined by a ldoor frame, and a barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across thev door-opening; a movable reinforcement pivotally connected at its upper end in the door frame and adapted to be positioned uprightly, imme'diately in front of the barricade, said reinforcement comprising a pair of telescopically connected, elongated members, means for releasablyk -securing said members in a desired position of telescopic adjustment, and latch means carried on the bottom of the door frame for receiving the lower end ofthe reinforcement when in an upright operative position, said latch plate having a rearwardly and upwardly inclined cam surface and the lower end of the reinforcement being provided with a cooperating surface, whereby application of pressure to the outer face of the reinforcement, after release of said securing mean-s, causes said cam surfaces to effect telescopic movement of one member relatively to the other and disengagement from the latch plate.

5. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with' a door opening defined by a door frame, and a barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across the door opening; a movable reinforcement pivotally connected at its upper end in the door frame and adapted to be positioned uprightly, immediately in front of the barricade, means for releasably locking the lower end of the reinforcement in the bottom of the door frame when saidfreinforcement is in an upright position, and a series of step members connected to and arranged along the length of the reinforcement.

6. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening defined by a door frame, and an expendable barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across the door opening;

a movable reinforcement pivotally connected at its upper end in the door frame for swinging movement about au axis parallel to the main plane of the door opening and adapted to be positioned uprightly, immediately in front of the barricade, said reinforcement comprising a p-ar of telescopically connected elongated members, means for releasably locking the lower end of the reinforcement in the bottom of the door frame when said reinforcement is in an upright position, and restraining mean-s connected to said reinforcement and having a free end formed for engaging the upper portion of the barricade for'limiting outward movement of the reinforcement through the door opening.

7. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening defined by a door frame, and an expendable barricade removably mounted on' the inner face of the frame and -extendingacross the door opening; a movable reinforcement pivotally connected at its upper end in the door frame'for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the main planeof thek door opening 'and adapted to be positioned uprightly, immediatelytin front of' the barricade, said reinforcement comprising a pair of telescopically connected elongated members, means for releasably locking the lower end of the reinforcement in'the bottom of the door frame when said reinforcement is in an upright position, and a combination abutment and pry bar mounted on the lower end and outer surface of the reinforcement. k

A8. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening defined by a door frame, and an expendable barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across the door opening; a movable reinforcement pivotally connected at its upper end in the door frame for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the main plane of the door opening and adapted to be positioned uprightly, immediately in front of the barricade, said reinforcement comprising two elongated members one telescoped into4 the other, the outer member having a longitudinally extending elongated slot, a threaded stud extending through the slot and rigidly attached to the inner member, a nut on the end of tbe stud for firmly securingv said members in an adjusted telescopic position relative to each other, and latch means on the bottom of the door frame yand engageable by the lower end of the reinforcement when the latter is in upright operative position.

9. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening defined by a door frame, and an expendable barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across the door opening; a movable reinforcement pivotally connected at its upper end in the door frame for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the main plane of the door opening and adapted to be positioned uprightly, immediately in front of the barricade, said reinforcement comprising two elongated members one telescoped into the other, one of the members having a longitudinally extending elongated slot, means on the other member and extending into said slot for connecting the members together and limiting extent of telescopic movement relatively to each other, means for iirmly securing said members in an adjusted telescopic position relative to each other, and latch means on the bottom of the door frame and engageable by the lower end of the reinforcement when the latter is in upright operative position.

l0. For use with a box car having a side wall provided' with a door opening defined by a door frame, and an expendable barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across the door opening; a movable reinforcement, means for pivotally supporting said reinforcement at its upper end in the door frame in an upright position, immediately in front of the barricade, for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the main plane of the door opening, and means recessed in the lloor of thedoor opening for releasably securing the lower end of the reinforcement in the bottom of .the door frame to preclude outward movement of the lower end of the reinforcement through the door opening.

ll. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening defined by a door frame, and an expendable barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across the door opening; a movable reinforcement, means for pivotally supporting said reinforcement at its upper end in the door frame in an upright position immediately in front of the barricade, for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the main plane of the door opening, said reinforcement comprising a pair of cooperating telescopically associated, elongated members, and means for releasably securing the lower end of the lower member to the bottom of the door frame to preclude outward movement of the lower end of the reinforcement through the door openmg. t

l2. For use with a box car having a side wall prog vided ,witha door opening dened by a door frame, and an expendablebarricade removably mounted on the, inner face ofthe frame and extending across the door opening;` a movable reinforcement, means for pivotally supporting said reinforcement at its upper end in the door frame in an upright position, immediately in front of the barricade, for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the main plane of the door opening, said reinforcement comprising a pair of cooperating telescopically associ-- ated, elongated members, and means for releasably securing the lower end ofthe lower member to the bottom of the door frame, said means comprising a latch plate recessed in the bottom of the door frame for receiving the lowerl end of the reinforcement when in an up. right operative position to preclude outward movement of the lower end of the reinforcement through the door opening, said latch plate having an inwardly and upwardly inclined cam surface, and the lower end of the lower member of the reinforcement being provided with a cooperating inclined surface, whereby application of pressure to the outer face of the reinforcement, causes telescopic movement of one member relatively to the other and disengagement from the latch plate.

13. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening defined by a door frame, and an expendable barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across the door opening; a movable reinforcement, means for pivotally supporting said reinforcement at itsupper end in the door frame in an upright position, immediately in front of the bar ricade, for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the main plane of the door opening, said reinforce-v ment comprising two elongated members, one telescopedinto the other, one of the members having a longitudinally extending elongated slot, a confining element extending through the slot and rigidly attached to the other member, to permit limited telescopic movement of Isaid members relative to each other, and means recessed in the bottom of the door frame and engageable by the lower end of the reinforcement, when the latter is in upright, operative position to preclude outward movement of the lower end of the reinforcement through the door opening. v

14. For use with a box car having a side wall provided with a door opening defined by a door frame, andr an expendable barricade removably mounted on the inner face of the frame and extending across the door opening; a moveable reinforcement, means for pivotally supporting said reinforcement at its upper end in the door frame in an upright position, immediately in front of the barricade, for swinging movement about an axis par-- allel to the main plane of the door opening, said reinforcement, comprising two elongated tubular members, one telescoped into the other, one of the members having a pair of oppositely disposed, longitudinally ex# tending elongated slots, a confining element carried by the other member and extending into said slots of said one member for connecting the members together and permitting limited telescopic movement relatively to each other, and means recessed in the bottom of the door frame and engageable by the lower end of the reinforcement when the latter is in upright, operative position, to preclude outward movement of the lower end of the reinforcement through the door opening'.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 889,484 Parker .Tune 2, 1908 935,885 Blake Oct. 5, 1909 A1,613,162 Collins Jan. 4, 1927 1,658,442 lJackson Feb. 7, 1 92`8 

